Misconceptions about the side effects of combined oral contraceptive pills.

Objective: Although combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs) are one of the most commonly used methods of contraception in western countries, they are taken by only a minority of sexually active women in Turkey. The purpose of this research has been to define women's specific misconceptions with regard to the side effects of COCPs.

Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional research was conducted on 418 reproductive aged women who agreed to participate.

Impact of passive smoking on uterine, umbilical, and fetal middle cerebral artery blood flows.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of passive maternal smoking on blood flow velocities in arteries of the fetal-placental-maternal circulation.

Materials And Methods: A total of 79 pregnant women in their third trimester, including 33 passive smokers, 23 active smokers, and 23 nonsmoking controls, were enrolled in the study. Fetal biophysical indices were evaluated with B-mode scanning, whereas blood flow waveforms of uterine, umbilical, and fetal middle cerebral (MCA) arteries were analyzed with Doppler ultrasonography.

Factors related to fatigue and subgroups of fatigue in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Introduction And Aims: Fatigue is a major determinant for quality of life for patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis (HD) treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the severity and contributing factors of fatigue in patients under chronic HD treatment.

Methods: 154 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients under HD treatment (92 M, 62 F, mean age 53 ± 15 y, mean duration of HD treatment 92 ± 65 months) were enrolled.

The attitudes of menopausal women and their spouses towards menopause.

Objective: Menopausal experience and symptom reporting of the women was reported to be affected by their attitudes to menopause which in turn is influenced by a range of variables. In this study, we primarily tried to investigate the attitudes of women and their spouses towards menopause. The other aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between menopausal attitudes and menopausal symptom experience, depression and anxiety scores of the participants.

Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is not associated with recurrent miscarriage.

Aim(s): The present study aimed to discover whether there is an association between thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) antigen levels and recurrent miscarriage (RM). In particular, TAFI antigen levels of women with RM were compared with those of a control group of women with previous uncomplicated pregnancies.

Method(s): Group 1 comprised 48 women with RM, defined as the occurrence of two or more fetal losses before 20 weeks of gestation.

Inclusion of a spasmolytic in bowel cleansing: a prospective randomized study.

The quality of colon cleansing and the tolerance of patients to the procedure are two major determinants of the quality of a colonoscopy. Many bowel-cleansing regimens are known, but there is no ideal regimen. Alverine citrate (Relaxyl, Spasmonal) is a spasmolytic agent that has been shown to affect responses of mechanoreceptors of the intestine to both mechanical and chemical stimuli.

Rectal cancer in pregnancy: a case report.

Rectal cancer in pregnancy is a rare but a life-threatening disease. This paper presents a case of rectal cancer in pregnancy, discussed in light of the literature.

Genetic variations in tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-10 genes, and migraine susceptibility.

Objectives: Migraine is a very common headache disorder and pathogenesis of the disease is still largely unknown. Cytokine genes have been implicated in migraine susceptibility. The present study was designed to explore the associations of polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene, and IL-10 haplotypes in Turkish migraine patients.

Preparation and properties of a new solid state borate ion selective electrode and its application.

A new borate ion selective electrode using solid salts of Ag(3)BO(3), Ag(2)S and Cu(2)S has been developed. Detailed information is provided concerning the composition, working pH and conditioning of the electrode. An analytically useful potential change occurred from 1×10(-6) to 1×10(-1) M borate ion.

Papillary serous adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix: a case report.

Papillary serous adenocarcinoma of the endocervix (PSAE) is a rarely encountered neoplasm. The literature includes only a limited number of well documented case studies. The present study reports a case of papillary serous adenocarcinoma originating from the endocervix.

[Procedural success and short- and mid-term results of percutaneous closure of persistent arterial duct with the Amplatzer Duct Occluder II].

Objectives: We evaluated the effectiveness and reliability of percutaneous closure of persistent arterial duct (PAD) with the Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (ADO II), together with short- and mid-term results.

Study Design: The study included 16 patients (10 girls, 6 boys; median age 6 years; range 5 months to 12 years) who underwent percutaneous PAD closure with the ADO II device. The ductus diameter was less than 6 mm in all the cases.

Lost intrauterine contraceptive device inserted 42 years before: a case report.

Objective: The management of a lost abdominal intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) is discussed together with a review of the relevant literature.

The Case: The IUD is one of the most commonly used, effective, cheap and safe methods of contraception in Turkey. However, IUD insertion may result in uterine perforation which may lead to a variety of abdominal complications or can remain asymptomatic in the abdomen for a long time without causing any complications.

The effect of low-dose combined oral contraceptive containing 100 ug levonorgestrel on plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 concentrations.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of a combined oral contraceptive (COC) containing 20 ug ethinyl estradiol (EE) and 100 ug levonorgestrel (LNG) which is currently used on plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) concentrations.

Material And Methods: Twenty-five women who had not used any COC for at least three months before the initiation of the study were enrolled in the control group. Twenty women who had been using COC containing 20 ug EE and 100 ug levonorgestrel LNG for at least three months prior to the study were enrolled in the LNG/EE group.

Risk factors for kidney impairment and differential impact of liver transplantation on renal function.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common problem in long-term survivors after liver transplantation (LT). It is important to identify and correct risk factors that negatively affect kidney function. The purpose of this study was to delineate the risk factors associated with progressive kidney dysfunction after OLT.

Factors associated with insulin resistance after long-term renal transplantation.

Insulin resistance (IR) is an early and very strong predictor of posttransplantation diabetes mellitus as well as an important cardiovascular risk factor even in the absence of hyperglycemia. Patients after renal transplantation are insulin resistant compared with a control group with similar demographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of IR in renal allograft patients without glucose disorders, to correlate IR indexes with the doses of immunosuppressive medications, and to examine other risk factors, such as age, obesity, and antihypertensive therapy used.

Circulating levels of osteopontin are related with calcification parameters in patients with renal transplantations.

Background: Although osteopontin (OPN) is a local inhibitor of calcification, it may also be an indirect marker of ongoing systemic calcification. There are few data about clinical and laboratory parameters associated with serum OPN levels in renal transplant (RT) patients. We investigated the relationship between insulin resistance and calcification parameters as estimated with OPN after RT.

Nocturnal nondipping hypertension is related to dyslipidemia and increased renal resistivity index in renal transplant patients.

Background: There are limited data about ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in renal transplantation patients. We sought to evaluate the clinical outcomes, and success of antihypertensive therapy based upon ABPM data.

Methods: We performed ABPM on 82 recipients between 2000 and 2006 including 27 females of overall age of 37.

The influence of tubular phenotypic changes on the development of diffuse interstitial fibrosis in renal allografts.

It has been reported that myofibroblasts are the major cells in the development of interstitial fibrosis (IF) and, therefore, chronic dysfunction in renal allografts. Our aim was two fold: first, to understand the key markers controlling tubular and glomerular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT); second, to show the role of tubular EMT on the development of interstitial fibrosis (IF) and the role of glomerular EMT on the development of proteinuria and, therefore, graft survival. For this purpose we evaluated the vinculin- and paxillin-containing adhesion complexes and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression on tubular cells and glomerular podocytes in first year renal allograft biopsy specimens of 74 patients.

Influence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on human leukocyte antigen-DR expression, macrophage infiltration, and graft survival in renal allografts.

Vitamin D plays an important role in the regulation of cellular growth and cell proliferation as well as exerting immunoregulatory activities. We sought to show the influence of vitamin D on renal graft survival. Among 102 patients, 40 were treated with vitamin D (group D) and the remaining 62 cases were not, forming a control group (group C).

Dialysis as a bridge therapy to renal transplantation: comparison of graft outcomes according to mode of dialysis treatment.

Background: Renal transplantation is the ideal renal replacement therapy in patients with end-stage renal disease. It was unclear whether a difference in dialysis modality influences outcomes after kidney transplantation. Therefore, we evaluated the influence of dialysis modality.

Pretransplantation serum FT3 concentration in kidney recipients is useful to identify higher risk of graft failure.

Background: Free triiodothyronine (FT3) is a marker of comorbidity in end-stage renal disease and in many acute and chronic diseases. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of pretransplantation FT3 concentration on graft function.

Materials And Methods: Between 2003 and 2008, the study enrolled 86 patients who underwent renal transplantation.

Association between "Malnutrition Inflammation Score" and airway obstruction in patients awaiting renal transplantation: a preliminary study.

Background: A chronic inflammatory state is a prominent feature in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). "Malnutrition Inflammation Score" (MIS) is a comprehensive scoring system that measures nutrition and inflammation in MHD patients. Inflammation and malnutrition are important risk factors in ESRD patients with pulmonary diseases.

Primary lumbar hydatid cyst: a case report.

A five-year-old male patient presented with swelling in the lumbar region that had persisted for two weeks. Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a cystic lesion inside his right back muscles. Intra-abdominal organs within the site of inspection were normal.

Perinatal and neonatal outcomes of twin pregnancies in Turkey.

Unlabelled: This study was conducted for the purpose of assessing, in the light of results of other research carried out in the present researchers' clinic and in Turkey, the status of twin pregnancies in Turkey, the incidence of twin births, perinatal and mortality rates associated with twin pregnancies, and the problems experienced in Turkey in cases of multiple and twin pregnancies.

Materials And Methodology: The outcomes of twin births that occurred at the researchers' clinic during the period 2001-2009 were studied retrospectively. Seventeen studies conducted in Turkey on multiple and twin pregnancies during the years 1991-2010 were included in the study.